(Yicai) Oct. 23 -- China's grain output is expected to reach a record high this year despite floods and droughts, according to an official.

Grain production should exceed 650 billion kilograms for the ninth year in a row, Zeng Yande, director of the development and planning department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said at a press conference today.

This year’s bumper harvest is caused by favorable weather in areas not affected by natural disasters, as well as technical measures taken to improve yields in large areas, per Pan Wenbo, director of the ministry's crop production department. Crops in such areas grew much better than expected.

The output of summer grain dipped by 1.3 billion kg from the previous year to 146.1 billion kg, still at the second-highest level ever. The area of autumn grain has increased steadily so output will definitely rise from the previous year, Zeng said.

China's soybean planting area has been stable at over 10 million hectares for two consecutive years. Both the area and yield of rapeseed have increased, and other oil crops such as peanut and sunflower have also shown a stable trend.

The ministry mentioned pig farms too. In the first nine months this year, China's pork output rose by 4 percent to 43 million tons from a year ago. As of Sept. 30, there were 42.4 million fertile sows in China, with an abundant production capacity and guaranteed market supply, Zeng noted.

Hog production will keep growing, and market supply will increase steadily while prices could rise but not soar during the peak season of the fourth quarter, per Chen Guanghua, director of the MARA’s animal husbandry bureau.

Editor: Emmi Laine